"Konan, are you serious...?"
"Leave the Land of Rain?"
"But..."
A trace of sorrow appeared on Yahiko's face. This was their home—asking him to abandon it...
Konan clearly understood what he was thinking, but the memory of their fallen comrades hardened her resolve.
"With Amegakure the way it is now, how many more of our friends have to die?"
"If Hanzō of the Salamander keeps controlling the village like this, then even with our own organization, we'll be constantly targeted and suppressed."
"So when will we ever be able to free Amegakure?"
"I think Kazuyama is right. For the sake of a better future, we have to leave our homeland. Haven't we already suffered enough?"
Akaashi, who had just sat down, looked conflicted as he listened to her words, but eventually stood up and sided with Konan.
"Yahiko, I think Konan is right…"
"If the others were still here, I believe they'd support her too."
"To build a better future, we have to endure for now…"
Thinking of their fallen comrades, Akaashi's face twisted with anger.
He hated what Amegakure had become. He hated that despite longing for peace, they were crushed instead. He hated that he wasn't strong enough to protect the people he cared about.
Kazuyama glanced at Yahiko, then stood and walked to the mouth of the cave, staring at the gloomy sky and the falling rain outside.
"Yahiko, look at this weather. Look at this rain."
"Amegakure shouldn't have to live under this kind of pressure all year round."
"And besides..."
His tone shifted mid-sentence, and in a flash, he used the Body Flicker Technique to appear right behind Yahiko.
Without a second thought, he hit him with the Thousand Years of Death.
"AHHH!"
"Kazuyama! Dammit!"
Yahiko jumped straight into the air, his face turning purple.
The cave wall met his face with full force—his cheeks hurt, and even his pride took a hit.
"As your close friend, I'm giving you a lesson today."
"A man can't be so wishy-washy!"
"When you've chosen your goal, you go after it with everything you've got!"
"Alright, Konan, we're heading back to Amegakure. We'll take Yugito and head to Takigakure."
Kazuyama had seen through Yahiko—he was way too indecisive.
No wonder he ended up destroying himself in the original story. Kazuyama had to help fix that mindset before it was too late.
"Hmph! Always dragging things out… Yahiko, you're just begging for a beating."
"Know what that means?"
"It means I'll use every method I have to beat you into shape!"
"If I didn't care about your image, I'd shave your head bald."
"I'll make you stronger—and bald!"
Faced with Kazuyama's frustration, Yahiko couldn't even respond. His face hurt, and he was too embarrassed to speak.
All he could do was nod to show he understood.
[Ding! Detected the host used inhumane methods to educate Yahiko, breaking his mental defenses and instilling a deep fear of the Thousand Years of Death. Special reward: Taijutsu +3.]
Damn it, Yahiko! Infuriating as always—and the reward's Taijutsu? Even worse!
"Let's rest a bit. Once the rain lets up, we'll head back."
The rain in Amegakure never stopped. Kazuyama just wanted to give them time to accept what was happening.
After all, they'd be away from here for a long time—they needed to come to terms with that.
...
Three days later, the skies finally cleared. No more dark clouds or endless rain.
"So it's true... Only Amegakure rains every day..."
Konan looked up at the blue sky, the white clouds, and the forest ahead. It all felt a little unreal.
Yahiko walked over to her. The hesitation in his expression was gone, replaced by confidence.
"So this is the Land of Waterfalls. Takigakure will be the first stop on our new journey."
"Nagato, just wait. We'll make the name of Akatsuki known to the world—then we'll come find you."
Akaashi joined them, all three faces full of determination.
Then, in the next instant, Yahiko and Akaashi were both sent flying.
Kazuyama had kicked each of them off the cliff without warning.
"One after the other! What are you standing around reflecting for?"
"Get moving already!"
"Go catch dinner for me!"
"Trying to work me to death?!"
Kazuyama was fuming. He'd been the one cooking all three days! He was worn out—traveling and cooking nonstop.
Konan stood awkwardly to the side. A moment ago there were three of them—now only she remained. Something felt off.
"Don't worry, Konan. He's not going to kick you."
"Even if Sensei's unreliable, he's still a gentleman."
Yugito walked over, a lollipop in her mouth and a grin on her face.
Konan finally let out a sigh of relief.
Over the past three days, they had left the Land of Rain and arrived in the Land of Waterfalls.
The change in scenery had eased everyone's tension—everyone except Kazuyama.
"Hmph! Those two idiots did nothing the entire way here. One said his leg was injured, the other said I hit him too hard to move."
"And now? Look at them, full of energy, yelling their lungs out!"
"You think I'm weak just because I didn't blow up on you?!"
Hearing Kazuyama's complaints, Yugito rolled her eyes.
So what if he compared himself to a cat? Cats are adorable!
...
Meanwhile, in the Land of Water—
Muren Uchiha and Zetsu had brought the unconscious Nagato to the country.
"This brat… What a temper."
"And those damned eyes—they even resisted my Genjutsu."
He had tried to hypnotize Nagato using his Sharingan, but it had no effect.
Even though the Rinnegan hadn't reached its full potential, the Sharingan's Genjutsu was completely useless on him.
"Hehehe... I've got an idea. After all, we're dealing with the Rinnegan here."
"Just knocking him out over and over won't work."
"Let's stage a show..."
Black Zetsu's voice echoed, finally calming Muren's irritation.
"A show?"
"Yeah. White Zetsu's touched others—he can mimic them perfectly. All we need is to stage a scene where Kirigakure slaughters them..."
Black Zetsu's cold smile deepened.
"If you want to break someone, shatter their beliefs. That's how you change their heart."
"The Land of Water is the perfect stage for such a performance..."
Muren smiled. He loved this kind of thing. As the embodiment of pain, he didn't mind destroying Nagato's ideals.
"Alright, let's do it your way. I'll play along."
"Let him lose hope quickly. I've chosen Kirigakure as the place he'll stay."
"Kazuyama... just wait..."
...
(100 Chapters Ahead)
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